FG to adopt new job creation measure — Minister

By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—THE Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige has said the Federal Government would design a new approach to tackle the massive youth unemployment, saying that the new approach would help to move the economy forward for the benefit of the people.

Ngige, who spoke, yesterday, in Umuahia when he called on the Abia State governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, said that the government would depart from old ways of tackling the perennial problem of youth unemployment.

According to Ngige, his ministry would give attention to skill acquisition to enable people to be self employed as against being job seekers.

The minister, who was in the state to commission an ICT skill acquisition centre completed by the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, at Ugwunagbo Local Government Area, explained that the directorate was committed to combating unemployment in addition to formulating policies on employment.

He said that the NDE would keep a data base of employed, unemployed, employable, under-employed and gainfully employed youths of the country for easy accessment.

“Government cannot give employment to everybody, but we can teach people how to employ themselves. The NDE established the skills acquisition centers where people are trained on how to do things with their hands and earn a living for themselves,” Ngige said.